The American lifespan

A recent study showed the U.S. retirement age is rising as the government pushes it higher and workers stay in the workforce longer: some by choice and others by life’s realities.

Sadly, lifespans aren’t necessarily getting any longer to offer more time on the beach. The data suggests Americans’ health is declining and millions of middle-age workers face the prospect of shorter, and less active, retirements than their parents enjoyed.

This wasn’t the math we expected to realize when we were younger. An improved and vibrant economy, advanced medical technology, and in general, a healthier lifestyle with less pollution and smoke were to make our golden years, well, golden.

Here are the stats: The U.S. age-adjusted mortality rate-a measure of the number of deaths per year-rose 1.2 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the Society of Actuaries. That’s the first year-over-year increase since 2005, and only the second rise greater than 1 percent since 1980.

At the same time, the American life expectancy is stalling, public policy and career tracks mean millions U.S. workers are waiting longer to join the Geritol crowd. This will only get worse as the Baby Boomer generation drops out of the workforce.

A recent change at the Social Security Administration changed the age at which people can claim their full Social Security benefits, as it gradually moves up, from 65 years of age for those retiring in 2002 to 67 in 2027.

Almost one in three Americans age 65 to 69 are still working, along with nearly one in five in their early 70s.

Postponing retirement, on one hand, can make financial sense, as it extends careers making it possible to afford retirements that last well into ones 90’s or even past the 100-year mark.

But a study out this month adds some cautionary flags to that calculation.

Americans in their late 50s are already suffering more serious health problems than people at the same ages did 10 to 15 years ago, according to the journal Health Affairs.

Life is simply unpredictable. Nothing can ever be taken for granted. While we need to live in the present, we also need to prepare for the future.

So enjoy the journey and take time the while you can to smell the flowers along the way.